The Walls of Ba Sing Se
by porcelaindakota
Summary: While Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph travel to Ba Sing Sae, Zuko and Iroh head there, though for different reasons. Meanwhile, Azula converges on the city as well, and an old enemy resurfaces, deadier than ever before.
1. Chapter 1

_For readers old and new, welcome to my newest story--The Walls of Ba Sing Sae! This story will, as you will see in this chapter, feature all of the Avatar main cast. (Including Iroh, though he doesn't appear here.) Please read and review!_

* * *

-Katara-

A branch snaps back in my face as I shove my way through a particularly prickly bush, ignoring the pine needles jutting into my arms. I call out once, twice, with no response. The only sounds around me are the cracking of branches and the birds chirping somewhere in the trees above.

Suddenly, there are footsteps behind me, and I spin around, startled. Standing there, his thin frame leaning jauntily into an ancient tree, is Aang—just the guy I've been looking for.

"Hey, Aang," I say, flashing him a quick grin. He smiles back at me, his grey eyes twinkling happily, and for one moment I see a flash of the child behind the Avatar, the boy that no one outside of our small group ever seems to see.

"Hey Katara," he mimics back, jumping up. "What'cha doing?"

I smile, soaking in the bright spring sunlight. "Looking for you, actually. I was wondering if you wanted to practice—"

He looks downcast, and I cut myself off, looking at him questioningly. Aang looks back up at me somewhat guiltily. "I kinda told Toph I would…you know…practice with her." He plasters the grin back on rapidly. "But no big deal, right? We can just practice later."

"Sure. Right," I say clumsily, scrambling for verbal footing. "Of course we can practice later. No problem," I give him another smile, but even I can feel how false it is. If Aang notices, though, he doesn't mention it.

"All right," he says breezily. "See you later, then." And in an instant, he is gone, jumping between bushes at Toph's call.

And I am left behind, wondering why this bothers me so much.

* * *

-Zuko-

_I look down, and I see flames dancing around my body, flickering eerily in the dim twilight. I am in battle stance, positioned over a prone body, ready for the kill._

_I hear my voice, but it is disembodied; I am merely watching and listening to myself from above. "You have failed," I hear myself hiss, a tiny flicker of fire erupting out from my closed fist. I hold it closer to my opponent's face, and I can see the sadistic satisfaction on my face, and I even feel a twinge in my stomach. _

_"Face me, you coward!" I say in a deadly whisper. My voice is low and cold, sinisterly emotionless. My victim looks up, slowly, painstakingly. I hear him groan as he shifts, the movement clearly causing him pain. I see him tip his face up, his eyes glittering in the light of the fire._

_The Avatar speaks: "You can't win, Ozai," his voice dying out._

_I mean to say "I'm not Ozai," but my voice becomes strangled and I watch as my face suddenly mutates and transforms; I let out a grunt of pain and I see my face contort one final time._

_I look into the cold, laughing face of my father._

I wake up in a cold sweat.

* * *

-Aang-

I feel kinda bad about turning down Katara, but I did already promise Toph I would practice with her. And besides, I need to work on earthbending more than waterbending. She knows that, so she can't feel so bad.

But still, she did look a little…upset when I left. Maybe she was just bored or something? Probably…but I get a weird, hollow feeling when I think about her face when I left.

Even earthbending doesn't make it completely go away. While I concentrate on the stances, I still feel the weird sensation in my stomach, and I keep seeing Katara giving me that fake smile, pretending nothing is wrong. Did she really think I would fall for that? I'm act like a little kid sometimes, but I'm not stupid.

But why was she upset? A sudden, wonderful, impossible thought flits through my mind—did she just really want to be with me? Maybe she's starting to feel…different about me…was she jealous of Toph?

I wish. But speaking of Toph…

"Be the rock, Twinkletoes!" Toph jars me out of my thoughts, yelling at me from across our sparring ring…okay, well it's not really a real ring, but a circle we drew in the ground, but…still. It works, okay?

Anyway, we're sparring, right?

Toph lifts a boulder from the ground, and heaves it straight at me. I get low in my earthbending stance, thrusting my feet and forearm forward, and I knock it back, the boulder shattering at the contact.

"Yes!" I yell, leaping into the air, exuberant at the success. For at the least that moment, Katara is gone from my mind. Toph smirks back at me, flipping her hair cockily.

"Yes, Twinkletoes, you know how to block a rock," she says, her smirk growing wider. "Now try it blind," she commands, holding out a small strip of cloth, which I guess is supposed to be my blindfold.

I put it on obediently, wondering if this is hard, or if it will hurt. I slowly get into my battle stance, digging my toes into the dirt. I shut my eyes beneath the blindfold (though I guess I don't need to…) and tried to concentrate on feeling the vibrations in the earth.

And…nothing.

"Um…Toph?" I chance, but I get no answer at first. Then, finally, she speaks, her voice echoing around the ring.

"Try and sense my attack," she says, and I immediately protest. She ignores me. I probably should have seen that coming…

I tense, knowing she is preparing to attack. But I hear nothing, and I can't feel any vibrations in the ground. "Toph?" I try again, but she doesn't bother to answer at all.

Then, a large boulder suddenly slams into my side, and I fall to the ground.

I hear Toph saying something, but it's all garbled, and everything goes dark….

* * *

-Sokka-

I'm actually buying supplies in the market when I overhear the two men's conversation. They are whispering urgently about the Fire Nation, something about troop positions. I strategically move closer so I can hear.

From what I gather, Fire Nation soldiers are closing all around this valley—it's only a matter of time before this entire area is overrun.

And, of course, the Avatar is tucked away about two miles from here, a sitting duck for the Fire Nation.

I pay for my supplies quickly and rush back to camp; Katara seems startled to see me back so early.

"What are you doing back already?" she asks, staring at me like I have some kind of disease. "Did you get all the supplies?"

"Of course," I lie, knowing I barely got half of them. "But I heard that this entire valley is surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers while I was at the market. We need to leave." While Katara takes this in, I gaze importantly around the camp. "Where are Toph and Aang?" I ask.

Katara's eyes get subliminally darker. If I wasn't her brother, I wouldn't be able to tell. "Practicing," she says. "You should go find them. I'll start packing up."

I nod, turning and disappearing into the woods.

* * *

-Song-

It is, I note sadly, the second time I have been made a refugee. And each time, I have lost someone in the process. The first time, I lost my father. Now, my beloved, kind mother is dead, murdered in the Fire Nation attack that razed our village to the ground.

I realize that, for the first time in my life, I am truly alone.

For right now, my only purpose is to reach safety and survive. And the only safe place in the entire world is Ba Sing Sae—so that's where I'm going. Behind the massive walls of the city, I can start a new life. Since I'm trained as a healer, I'll be able to find a job and help people. I can help them avoid my fate: cast adrift, an orphan, a pariah.

And somewhere along the way, I'm hoping to change my life as well.

I rub my back, aching from my heavy pack. I settle myself down on a moss-covered rock and take a deep drink from my canteen. Frowning, I shake it again—I can tell by the swishing that it's almost empty. I make a mental note to refill it soon.

I gaze at the forest around me; there may not be another village for miles. Until then, I will have to survive off of what I can find in the wild—berries, nuts, and water from streams. Luckily, my healer training has taught me much about which plants are healthy.

I sigh and look down at my torn dress. This was not the life I wanted, nor did I plan for it. I never expected to be cast out on my own. I thought that I could only lose one of my parents, that, after my father was taken, I wouldn't have to hurt this bad again.

I was mistaken on both counts.

* * *

-Azula-

I squint in the heavy sunlight as I stride out onto the docks, looking for my ship. According to my father's letter, it should be here by now. But I see nothing, and I wait, my temper slowly reigniting itself.

When Ty Lee pokes me in the back, I am ready to burn the entire pier if my ship doesn't arrive soon. "Azula…" she says slowly, and I can feel her overlarge eyes boring into the back of my head.

I'm really too pissed to care about what she's trying to tell me. "Not now, Ty Lee," I say, my voice filled with unwarranted venom for her.

"But—"

"Quiet!" I hiss, folding my arms over my chest and tapping my boots on the practically rotted wood of the dock.

It is Mai that finally gets my attention. She forcefully grabs my arm and turns me around, so I can see the massive, hulking ship, its Fire Nation flag unfurled proudly on its mast.

"The boat's here," she deadpans, and I smile cynically.

"Girls," I say, folding my arms over both of their shoulders (Mai tries to shrug me off), "our days roughing it are up." I smirk even wider, my eyes narrowing to slits. "My father has prepared a new, more important mission for us. A decade-old wrong is about to be righted."

The sun sets in the west, turning the sky the color of blood.

* * *

**_Please review! Thanks for reading!_**

**_-sugarland31_**


	2. Chapter 2

_Before I start, major thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter, and to my beta reader, passionrenewed._

* * *

-Iroh-

Almost every night, Zuko moans or mumbles in his sleep. But tonight, he wakes up, cold and clammy, as if he has seen Death itself. In his eyes there is a look of fear, a terrified expression never present during the day.

But it is there for only a moment, and then it is gone, making me wonder if it was only a trick of the light.

I am at his side in an instant, moving quickly despite my old joints. Something pops in my haste to get to him: he is the only one I would move this quickly for.

He looks up at me, golden eyes shining into my tired, brown ones. "Uncle," he says slowly, suddenly looking down, away from me. "Am I… like my father?"

"No," I say firmly, thinking of the man atop the flaming throne. Zuko is _nothing _like Fire Lord Ozai. Since my son's death, I have made it my mission to make sure that he did not fall that far astray.

_

* * *

When he was six, Ozai became horribly sick. He had a high fever, and was shaking so hard the doctors had to tie him down to the bed. There were whisperings that he wouldn't make it. Our father didn't care; he had another heir to the throne. His bloodline was secure. Besides, he was busy with the war. He didn't have time for his sick son._

_Ozai was unconscious for almost a week. On his sixth day of bed rest, his fever broke and he finally woke up. _

_I was the only one at his bedside. _

_He sat up, sick and confused, his face still flushed red from his fever. After a moment, his unfocused eyes finally found mine. "Iroh?"_

_I smiled. "It's me." I took in his dazed appearance. "Do you feel better?" _

_He shrugged. "I feel hot, Iroh," he said sulkily, wiping his head, which was beaded with sweat. _

_Then, he looked around the rest of the room. "Is Dad here?" he asked weakly, sinking back into the silken pillows. I shook my head, not making eye contact with him. _

"_Could you get him?" _

_Though it was the last thing I wanted to do, I nodded, venturing out into the rest of the palace, hunting down my father. I finally found him, meeting with some advisors in the throne room. It took some convincing (and begging), but I got him to agree to come see Ozai. _

_When father walked into the infirmary, Ozai's eyes lit up. Remember, he was only six—our father was his idol. To Ozai, he could do no wrong. _

_But even Ozai realized that father wasn't paying any attention to him; he came in, irritated to be pulled away from his work for something so trivial as his son. _

_He didn't even bother to sit down. He just stood next to Ozai's bed, looking anywhere but at Ozai. The only times my father ever looked awkward were when he was dealing with his family. At state dinners, meeting with officials and ambassadors…that's where he was in his element. Yet he could barely stand still to look at his six year old. _

"_How are you feeling?" he asked, twiddling his fingers on the fine gold embroidery of his robe. I watched this scene from behind him, in the doorway, feeling strangely mournful. _

"_I feel better, Daddy," Ozai said joyfully, reaching his pudgy arms up to Azulon. The Fire Lord, though, spurned this gesture of affection, turning away to a nurse who had suddenly appeared. _

"_Make sure he's taken care of," he barked to the stunned young woman, who simply nodded and retreated to her medicine cabinet. With no goodbye, our father left. _

_Ozai looked up at me then, hurt etched in all of the lines of his face. "Iroh," he asked, sounding on the verge of tears, "Does Daddy not like me?"_

* * *

-Toph-

Okay, so maybe I hit Twinkletoes a little hard. But I am handling the situation just fine, thank you very much, until Sokka shows up and _freaks out_.

He has his hands on his face, and is shrieking like a little girl. "Oh my _gosh_, Toph, what did you _do _to him?" He then takes out his boomerang and starts poking Aang. Idiot. "Is he even _alive_?"

I slam my foot into the ground, and Sokka goes flying, and finally shuts up. I kneel down by Aang's unmoving body.

"C'mon, Twinkletoes, wake up," I whisper, shaking him by his shoulder. No response.

Sokka approaches from behind me. "We'll get him back to Katara," he says, his voice surprisingly calm, and in the earth I can feel him, squatting and picking up Aang. "She'll know what to do with him."

I nod. As much as I sometimes don't like 'Sugar Queen', she _is _a healer. And we need to get Aang back to camp, anyway. In the woods, with only me and Sokka conscious, and only me being a bender, we'd probably be just _asking _for someone to attack us.

I am slightly surprised at how ironic this statement is when Sokka turns to me, filling me in on what he heard in the village. Like usual, I tune him out, only paying attention for important phrases: Fire Nation, and _nearby_.

Talk about bad timing. The _one time _I accidentally knock Aang out, and it turns out soldiers are practically on top us.

We crash our way into camp, loud enough that the Fire Nation can probably hear us miles away. Sokka unceremoniously deposits Aang on top of Appa, while I gather my few possessions. It is only then that I notice Katara.

Her face goes red, practically purple, and she storms over to me, again creating noises so loud that Fire Nation soldiers could track us by her footsteps alone.

That, and maybe the steam coming out of her ears. Sugar Queen's status: melted down.

* * *

-Azula-

It feels unbelievably good to be back in the royal procession again, despite the added military flair to it. After weeks tracking my brother and uncle (and the Avatar), it feels good to be able to order people around again, to assert my authority.

Also, I have missed my bed. A sleeping bag is nothing compared to silk sheets, after all.

But, fortunately, my return is for a greater conspiracy—as I said to Mai and Ty Lee, we are, together with the Fire Nation soldiers under our (my) command, to right a decade-old wrong. We will restore the balance in the hierarchy of the world, reasserting the Fire Nation's position of total dominance.

I turn to the assortment of men, soldiers and politicians, warriors and bureaucrats, seated around me, respectfully following my every movement. _This _is where I belong. In control, with everyone's eyes on me.

"Any questions?" I ask, my eyes sharp on theirs.

One brave, foolish man speaks. He wears a medal, pinned to the chest of his uniform. "Forgive me, Princess, but this exact mission has been tried before. What makes you so sure we will not fail again?"

Despite my contempt for this man, for daring to contradict me, I was hoping someone would ask this very question—I have been looking forward to answering it, you see.

"May I see your medal, Commander?" I ask icily, smiling slightly when he stammers and hands it to me. I clench it in my hands, looking down, studying it for a moment, before I turn my attention back to my audience. "Why am I sure?" I repeat slowly, a devious smile gracing my lips. "I am sure we will succeed, Commander, for several reasons. First," I say, "we are much stronger than our Earth Kingdom adversaries. While they have grown weaker throughout the war, we have expanded."

"Second," my voice changes; it is hard, cold, and unforgiving. "We will not have weak leadership like last time. This time," I use my spare hand to tuck a stray hair behind my ear, "I am in charge. And I do not tolerate _failure." _My hand lights with flame, and I crush the medal in my hand. It splinters into a hundred pieces, before smoldering and melting away.

I turn, walking close to the map behind me, so close that my nose is inches away from it. "Ba Sing Sae will fall," I say, more to myself than to the rest of the room.

* * *

-Aang-

The first thing I see is the darkening sky above me as I come to, dusk setting in all around me. I shiver at the cold winds that blow through, ruffling Appa's fur.

I hear voices, and I look down to the ground. It is even worse down there; Katara and Toph are in a huge shouting match.

"What were you _doing?_" Katara yells, red in the face, her hair falling down from its elegant braid. Toph gets right in her face, screaming back at her. I am afraid one of them will bend and that they'll get hurt.

Sokka, even though he has to know it won't work, tries to get in between them. "Hey, guys, calm down—" he begins, but Toph has shoved him into the ground.

"Don't hit my brother!"

"I'll hit whoever I want!"

"Well, _obviously_. All you do is—" In the middle of Katara's sentence, I recognize Toph's movements, and realize she is about to get into fighting stance.

Time to play Avatar.

"Break it up!" I yell, jumping and landing softly next to them. "Look, you guys need to cool off. I don't know what happened, but…"

"What happened?" Katara shrieks, her eyes bulging. I back off. "She knocked you out! She could have hurt you!"

"Oh," I say dumbly.

Katara takes deep breaths, clenching and unclenching her fists spasmodically. "Well," I start weakly, "I'm fine, and no one got hurt." I give her my biggest grin.

"I think _I _got hurt," Sokka mumbles from somewhere in the dirt. I kneel and help him up onto Appa's saddle.

Katara and Toph both slam their things inside, and then sit down as far as they can get from each other. Which isn't far, when you're on the same saddle, but the gesture is understood. I climb up on Appa's massive head, sighing.

It's going to be a _long _trip…

* * *

-Song-

Green light filters down around me, singing down through the gaps in the treetops.

Even in the forest, I try to be as quiet as possible—I don't want _anyone _to find me. Many would call this paranoid, but after my many encounters with soldiers, I call it _safe_. But still, I know that there is nothing to protect from encounters with Fire Nation soldiers.

So far, though, all I have seen are a few animals. There is no sign of civilization in sight. I feel like I have suddenly dropped off of the world, fallen away from the war.

Then,in the midst of this new sense of peace,footsteps crash behind me, and I spin so quickly I nearly lose my balance. The bushes part, and two men in full Fire Nation uniform emerge, both sitting astride on two massive Komodo rhinos. The beasts grunt and growl as their riders dismount.

I am frozen.

One of them binds my hands, the other removing my small pack and going through my belongings. By this time, I am trembling uncontrollably.

Apparently, I wasn't quiet enough. One of the soldiers tosses me onto his rhino, and we are off, stalking through the underbrush.

I do not protest as they carry me back into hell.

* * *

_Ha! Chapter two is up, yo! I'm so hyper...'The Fury of Aang' is on in...an hour and a half! Haha, YES!_

_Anyway, I have one more request: **if you have this story on your favs or alert list, please MAKE SURE TO REVIEW. **And, even if you don't, please review anyway!_

_-sugarland31_


End file.
